Just Dance
by boyslikegirlslikeboys
Summary: Cassidee invites the Institute residents to play a game with her. T for safety and a few other thingsssss. Don't own MI. Reviews lovedd dearly!


All was silent in the Institute, its inhabitants sleeping peacefully.

Jace, however, was jerked to consciousness by the ringing of his cellphone. Groggily, he rolled over and snatched the little device, answering it. He was angry for the interruption of his slumber. "For the love of all that's holy, there had better be a good reason for this—"

A familiar giggle came from the caller. "Someone's got a stele up his butt," Cassidee said, laughing. Jace groaned, throwing an arm across his eyes.

"You're too energetic. It's early. Go back to sleep."

"I can't!" She protested.

"Are you having nightmares? I—"

"No, no, nothing like that. I need to go to the store." She stated simply. Jace laughed in amazement.

"So you decided to wake me up to tell me you needed to go to the store?" He wasn't usually this short with her, but he had been having a good dream and she interrupted. Admittedly, the dream was about her… _Nevertheless, she woke me up,_ He thought.

"No. I decided to wake you up because I want you to go to the store with me."

"There is _no way_ I am rolling my hot body out of this bed, getting dressed, and going to the store this early in the morning. _No. Way._" Jace's declaration was met with silence. He could practically sense Cassidee's deep brown eyes adopting the adorable puppydog look that she knew he couldn't resist…

He sighed deeply. "I'll be at your house in ten minutes."

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_I can NOT believe I'm here right now…_ Jace scowled at the greeter who was standing at the doors; the polar opposite of Cassidee, who was beaming excitedly.

"I'm so glad you came, Jace," Cassidee chirped, shooting him a happy glance. Jace met her eyes indifferently, and watched her cheerful demeanor wilt. A stab of guilt pierced his heart.

"What are we buying?" He asked, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side in an unspoken apology. She perked up again, grabbing a cart and pushing it in front of them.

"Let me think… A game, a projector, a projector screen, extra remotes, speakers, some clothes, some snacks, and a few other things." Jace's curiosity was piqued, but he followed her to the entertainment section.

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"How much longer are you gonna be in there, Cass?" Jace called, leaning on their full cart. Cassidee had insisted on hiding the game that she was going to purchase, telling him it would be a secret that she'd show everyone at her house that night. Jace understood that she was planning a start-of-summer party, and the game would be the main entertainment. Now, after all the things associated with the game had been bought, Cassidee was in a dressing room trying on clothes for the party.

"Hey, Beth, look at this set!" A girl called to her friend, emerging from one of the dressing room stalls in nothing but a bra and panties. The two girls giggled together, obviously trying to get Jace's attention. "Oops, dropped my hairpin!" The barely-clothed girl bent down slowly, watching Jace out of the corner of her eye. _Seriously?_ With an annoyed sigh, Jace rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Jace, look!" Cassidee came out of another stall, and Jace's heart stuttered. Short white Soffes made her lean legs look more tan than they already were. A black sports bra showed from under a loose-fitting neon pink tank top. _This game led to these clothes? Maybe it's not lame…_ Jace shot Cassidee a wicked grin and winked at her.

"Hot," He said, walking over and circling her. Pleased with what he saw, he put an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head, noticing the girls whispering furiously. He moved Cassidee back towards the dressing room, motioning for her to change. When he saw the two girls watching him like hawks, he decided to be rude. "Let's practice for later, babe," He said, loud enough for them to hear. Quickly, he followed Cassidee into the dressing room and shut the door behind him. She had her shirt pulled slightly up, having just begun the act of taking it off. Jace grabbed her waist, making her squeal. "Your hands are cold!" She shrieked. After hearing the girls' dressing room door slam, Jace collapsed onto the floor, laughing. "What's so funny?" Cassidee asked, her head tilted sideways.

"Nothing," Jace said once he'd calmed down. Cassidee's eyebrow lifted in a question, but she shrugged and smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're having fun. Now put these on." She tossed a few articles of clothing at him. He caught them, examining the black athletic shorts and gray muscle shirt.

"Exactly what are these for?" He asked, standing up and pulling his shirt over his head. When he looked at Cassidee, a furious red blush flooded his face and forced him to look at the ground. She had been facing away from him so he couldn't see anything on the front, but she was in the process of switching from the sports bra to her regular bra. The sight of her entirely bare back would be enough to make his heart falter, but she had also been in just her underwear. "Uh, Cass…" He muttered, not used to being this flustered, "You _are_ aware that I'm in here with you?"

Cassidee tugged her jeans back on, buttoning them as she turned around to face Jace, who was still in a staring contest with the dressing room floor. "Of course I am… Oh! Oh. Oops. Sorry, Jace. I forgot how _pure _you were," She teased, emphasizing the antonym of what Jace really was.

"Put your shirt on," He growled. Cassidee did so, laughing.

"Why so embarrassed?" She asked when she was fully dressed, allowing him to look up.

"I wasn't embarrassed. I simply thought you wouldn't want me to look."

"I'm not self-conscious."

"You should be. It's not appropriate for you to strip down in front of other people."

"Why, Jace, you sound like a right proper gentleman," Cassidee giggled, making Jace scowl as he pulled on the muscle shirt. "Besides, playing soccer has eliminated any insecurity I have. I've been changing clothes in front of other people for years."

"That's in front of girls," He pointed out, sliding out of his jeans.

"Not always," Cassidee said in a sing-song voice. Jace paused in the act of putting on the shorts. "One time, my team was at an away game and the school only had one main locker room, so the girls team and the boys team had to change together." Cassidee shrugged as if it didn't bother her. "It was no big deal. The girls set up a sort of changing room with towels in one corner and took turns changing. The guys stood around shirtless for a while, then made up some excuse to leave the locker room and came back in their different shorts. Everyone was so awkward. I just stood in the middle of the room and changed." Jace shook his head and put the shorts on, turning to Cassidee when he was finished.

"Okay, they fit. Why do I need them?"

"For the game," She said simply, smiling as she appraised him. "Alright, change out. Let's go."

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The sun had sunk down below the horizon by the time Cassidee and Jace had everything set up in her backyard. Jace was standing around the little snack table, eating chips and watching Cassidee flit around her party. Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus emerged from the house, all dressed in clothes that Cassidee had bought them. Isabelle wore skintight red shorts and a white tank top that exposed her midriff. Alec's shorts were dark blue, paired with a lighter blue tee that said 'Just do it'. Magnus wore orange shorts and a yellow shirt, plus a neon green sweatband around his messy black hair. Cassidee turned on the projector with a grin, revealing a bright screen with big letters that read 'Just Dance 2'.

"Dancing?" Isabelle squealed, smiling happily. Cassidee nodded.

"We're not really gonna compete, so we'll only use one remote for picking songs. Who wants to go first?" She asked, pointedly looking at Jace. He grimaced inwardly. _Of course…_

"No thanks. I'll just watch for a while." He said, trying to ignore the disappointed look in her eyes.

"Ditto," Alec said, coming to stand beside Jace. Magnus rolled his eyes.

"I want to pick. I love dancing." He took the remote from Cassidee and selected a song. The two girls and Magnus lined up behind the projector, preparing to dance. The music began to play… and the three participants began to bob their heads along to 'Iko Iko'. Jace watched their movements. Magnus was surprisingly good at the game, keeping rhythm as well as the girls. Naturally, though, Jace caught sight of Cassidee's brilliant grin as she moved. Maybe he would play… for her.

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After a few more songs—including 'Satisfaction' and 'Dagomba', among a few others— Cassidee and Isabelle were out of breath. Magnus sat down, chugging a bottle of water greedily. The two girls high-fived, then turned to the boys who hadn't played yet.

"No. Not a chance, Iz." Alec silenced his sister before she even spoke. Isabelle's dark eyes flashed, and she unconsciously made a fist. Alec gulped. Jace looked at his girlfriend, shaking his head quickly. Her shoulders slumped, but perked up again almost instantly as she grabbed Isabelle's arm and whispered something in her ear. The girls tossed their hair over their shoulders.

"Gosh, I'm hotter than a cowboy in Texas," Cassidee stated loudly, waving a hand in front of her face dramatically. Isabelle nodded in agreement.

"I don't know about you, Cass, but I'm gonna do something about it." With that, Isabelle pulled off her shirt, leaving her in no more than her red sports bra and shorts. She even went so far as to roll up the bottoms of the shorts. Cassidee smiled.

"Good idea, Izzy," She said, shooting a glance over to Jace before deliberately sliding off her tank top and rolling up the Soffes shorter than they were. Jace swallowed hard, trying and failing to not stare at the girl's toned body. "All right, let's play." Cassidee cycled through the songs before selecting one.

Jace knew he was in trouble as 'Toxic' came on the screen.

The girls followed the movements with scary perfection. Jace's eyes were glued on Cassidee when she performed the move requiring her to lift her hands in the air and slowly run them down her figure. It was a side of Cassidee that he'd never seen before. Since the first day they'd met, she'd been bubbly and childlike, always _cute_. But now… Well, she was being… _Sexy_. And Jace couldn't admit to himself that he didn't like it.

Towards the end of the song, Jace's mouth dropped and he had to fight to keep control of himself. Cassidee had her hands making X's and waving upward while her hips moved fluidly from side to side. After that, she was being more provocative than the girl doing the moves on the game. Jace groaned when the song ended, his whole body feeling warm.

"Fine, fine. I'll dance." Cassidee and Isabelle shared a smirk when his voice came out rough. Alec looked at him incredulously.

"Jace!" He complained, not believing that his super-Y-chromosome infused friend was agreeing to play a dancing game. Jace looked back at Alec apologetically, but even Alec could see the desire in his golden eyes. Naturally, the girls' performance hadn't attracted Alec in the slightest, but Jace had clearly been affected. He was practically drooling over Cassidee.

"Mission accomplished. I'm sitting this one out," Isabelle announced, plopping down where Jace had been. Alec, Magnus, and Isabelle watched while Cassidee clicked on 'Mambo No. 5'.

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"Get into character, Jace. Just go with it. Have fun," Cassidee said, winking at him. Jace nodded, determined to succeed. The song began, and the two began to dance. Cassidee glanced over at her boyfriend, seeing the intense focus on his face and the rigidity of his movements. She managed to poke him during the songs. "Loosen up," She suggested, giving him an encouraging smile. He smiled back, and slowly she saw him relax. He even looked like he was enjoying himself. At one point in the song, she offered her hand for him to kiss, and kiss it he did, his tawny eyes glittering in the summer starlight. He even caught her perfectly at the end of the song. Cassidee beamed, standing up and whirling to face her friends. All three were wide-eyed and open-mouthed at seeing Jace dance so well.

"What? You're surprised that I have such impeccable skills?" Jace demanded with a teasing smirk.

"Come on, Alec. Let's dance," Magnus said, catlike eyes glimmering as he waited on his boyfriend. Alec grimaced, but stood up. Everyone cheered, excitedly preparing to dance. With a flourish, Cassidee selected 'Rockafeller Skank'.

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The group members were quick learners. They danced the night away, until Cassidee was dizzy from breathing irregularly and sweat was dripping off Jace's hair. At about 3 in the morning, Cassidee called it a night, inviting all to crash at her house. They gladly accepted. They took turns in the shower and picked places to sleep. Isabelle, having claimed the shower first, was fast asleep in the single guest bedroom, sprawled out on the bed. Magnus chose to stretch out his lanky form on the couch, while Alec slept in the recliner. Cassidee turned out all the lights after she'd showered, trusting Jace's ability to make his way from the bathroom to her room, where she'd made a pallet for him. Sure enough, when the water cut off, he sauntered into the room, a towel around his waist. Cassidee blushed brightly when she saw him, and quickly tossed him his boxers and a pair of her brother's old flannel pajama pants.

"No shirt?" He asked when he was dressed. Cassidee panicked, fluttering her hands around uselessly in front of her face while she fretted.

"Well, I could find an old one if you want it. Of course, I don't have any boy shirts, only my old things. It's a miracle I even found those pants. I used to wear them in the winter, because they're so warm, but they're definitely boy pants. If you want a shirt, though, it'll have to be one of mine—"

"Cass. Calm down. I was teasing." Jace kissed her forehead, then observed her appearance. "I like your pajamas, though." Cassidee looked down, turning a brilliant shade of red when she remembered she was in nothing but her underwear with a long tee over it. Even worse, the tee was from an amusement park, and it had a semi-perverted saying on it. Cassidee crawled into bed, mortally embarrassed. Jace chuckled and pulled the sheets up to her chin. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Mmm." Cassie yawned, patting Jace's cheek before he laid down on the pallet. There was a silence, and Jace's eyelids were slowly closing. "Jace?"

"Yeah, hon?"

"Thanks for dancing with me."

"Anytime." A smile stole across his face as his eyes closed.

"Jace?" Cassidee's whisper woke him again.

"Yes?"

"Is the floor uncomfortable?" Jace chuckled, knowing that the question was Cassidee's way of inviting him to join her in the bed. He stood and crossed the room, settling down beside her with a content sigh. She curled up against his chest, one arm hugging his midsection while her head rested below his collarbone. He pressed his lips against her hair once.

"'A little bit of you makes me your man'," Jace murmured the line from Mambo No.5, making Cassidee laugh quietly.

"Darn right it does."

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**A/N: Sooooooooooooooo? What did ya'll think? Review pleaseeee! :D**


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